A Conversation with Jolie Holland (continued)

PM: So you're playing a couple different guitars on the record, right? The strummed guitar sounds like a parlor guitar.

JH: For the most part I was playing Gregory's guitar, which is a turn of the century Washburn parlor guitar.

PM: Was that the one you were strumming more than fingerpicking, or were you fingerpicking that too?

JH: I was fingerpicking that too. And then the only two other guitars I used on that--I used my baby guitar, which is this Airline from the 50s.

PM: Oh, they're nice. [laughs]

JH: I got it at a garage sale, and it actually doesn't sound that great on the recording. For some reason they couldn't figure out how to mic it. But it's on that song "Black Stars," where I say, "red, like my guitar," I felt like I just had to play the actual guitar.

[laughter]

PM: Yeah, right.

JH: It's one of those red and black Airlines. And then my friend lent me his 1942 Gibson for that song "Goodbye California." So I'm playing like a big heavy guitar on that song.

PM: Right, a big dreadnought from the 40s. That's a nice loan. Who lent you that?

JH: Jeffrey Luck Lucas.

PM: Right, he's thanked in the credits somewhere.

JH: Yeah, he's a San Francisco songwriter, really beautiful writer.

PM: Oh, yeah. Speaking of songwriters, can you tell us a little about Michael Hurley?

JH: Yeah. We're going to do a show together in September. I'm really looking forward to it.

PM: At Bimbo's, right?

JH: Yeah. He's a hero of mine. He played with the Fugs, and he was in the Holy Modal Rounders. And he still plays with those guys.

PM: Stampfel and crowd, right?

JH: Yeah. I'm really looking forward to meeting those guys. I've just been talking to him on the phone. And he's so sweet, he sends me home recordings he's working on.

PM: Wow.

JH: Do yourself a favor and get one of my favorite records of his called Long Journey.

PM: Okay.

JH: And there's another one that's really great--I mean, they're all great. He's a beautiful songwriter. I feel his influence is stronger on my newer stuff--like "Amen," I feel it's got a good Hurley influence.

PM: We're going to get on that guy and find him.

What are you reading on the road lately, anything?

JH: Everything. Well, I just read Alan Lomax's book again, The Land Where the Blues Began. I just got to meet John Lomax, his great nephew. He's in Houston. So it was pretty awesome. And I've read The Master and Margarita three times this year.

PM: What's that?

JH: It was the best book to come out of Soviet Russia. Yeah, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. That's a powerful book.

PM: Thanks for that. Are you listening to anything special?

JH: I'm listening to a lot of Lomax recordings. And people give us a whole lot of music on the road. But I think the best thing anybody's given us on the road is Jan Bell.

PM: Jan Bell.

JH: From New Orleans. She gave me a record. And do you remember Captain Stringbean? Jan Bell was his girlfriend and singer partner in there for a long time. Jason Eklund, right? So she sings backup on a lot of his songs, and co-wrote a lot of stuff. I really like her music.

PM: Okay. I'll look up these folks online and turn our readers on to them. continue

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